Hello, and thank you for joining me for today's lesson.

I'm Mrs. Butterworth and I cannot wait to get started on today's lesson, which is all about the short story, "Propping Up The Line".

So you'll need to make sure you have a copy of that for this lesson.

And we're gonna be focusing on the idea of symbolism and motif and how these are used effectively in this short story.

So shall we get started? So in this lesson, you will explore Beck's use of symbolism and motif.

So before we get started, let's look at those all important key words that help with our understanding of the lesson and its key concepts.

So those words are tangible, symbolism, theme, motif, and sacrifice.

Let's just look at what those mean together.

So tangible is simply described as a physical thing that can be touched.

So any kind of object that you can touch would be, could be described as tangible.

We then get this key concept of symbolism.

Now what this means is when a writer uses something tangible to represent an intangible idea.

So a really good example is this crown as a symbol for power.

So the crown is tangible, whereas power is intangible, or it's an abstract idea, we can't touch it or see it.

So therefore, that crown, that tangible object can help make us understand.

Then we have the word theme.

So a theme is an important idea in a text.

So, for example, the theme of trauma is important to Beck in the work.

And I often think of a theme as like the big ideas in a text.

And a motif is something that comes up multiple times in a text.

So, for example, the image of the washing line is a motif in Beck's story.

So we will look at that in this lesson in a little bit more detail.

And then finally, sacrifice is to unwillingly give something up.

The outline of our lesson looks like this.

We're going to start by looking at Beck's use of symbolism.

In particular, we're going to look at the use of the canary as an important symbol.

And then we're going to move on to think about the use of motif, focusing on the use of the washing line.

So let's begin, by that all important symbolism.

So let's just really think what symbolism means and how writers use symbolism.

Now, symbolism is when writers use something tangible to represent an intangible idea.

So, for example, in one of Shakespeare's tragedies, "Macbeth", the main character, Macbeth, feels extremely guilty after killing his king.

Now, you can't touch guilt, it's intangible.

So Shakespeare has to think about a way to represent guilt on stage.

So guilt is quite an abstract idea, it's a feeling, we can't see it, we can't touch it.

So Shakespeare wants a way to make guilt visible for the audience, to really show the audience the impact of the guilt on Macbeth.

So what does Shakespeare do? He chooses blood to symbolise the character's guilt.

So blood is tangible, you can see it and you can touch it.

So it is really evident to the audience what Macbeth is really feeling.

So when Macbeth asks if an ocean of water will "wash this blood clean from my hand", Shakespeare is symbolising Macbeth's overwhelming feelings of guilt and making it really obvious to the audience or the reader.

They can see it, we understand it, we understand how big that guilt is that he's feeling and where it is.

And it is also much more subtle than Shakespeare just saying, Shakespeare having Macbeth saying, "I feel guilty, let me tell you about it." So using that symbolism is much more effective than just having a character say how they feel, for example.

Now Beck also uses symbolism, and he uses the symbol of a canary in his short story.

Now, if you don't know, canaries are small yellow birds.

And in "Propping Up The Line", the family have a canary as a pet and it is referenced, in total, four times.

So it is an important symbol.

Now, canaries have two important associations.

So the first is, in the past, canaries were actually taken in coal mines in order to warn miners about carbon monoxide gas leaks.

So if there was a leak, canaries would show visible signs of distress and sometimes die.

And thus warn workers to exit the mine before they were too affected.

So you may have heard of this phrase, a canary down the mine.

And this is because of this is how canaries were used.

They were used to test how safe mines were.

And canaries are often associated with positivity and joy because of their bright colour and cheerful song.

So there are these two associations with the bird, the canary.

Now I'd like you to discuss now; why do you think Beck chose the symbol of the canary? And what intangible ideas might the canary represent? So pause a video so you've got time to discuss your ideas.

Or if that's not an option, you may just wish to quietly think to yourself, okay? Off you go.

Some really excellent ideas, everyone.

Should we share some of those ideas? So, these are some ideas that other pupils had.

So, maybe the canary is used to symbolise how many people lost their lives to war.

So perhaps you had something similar to this.

Maybe the canary is a symbol of the loss of joy in the Gauntlett household.

And perhaps Beck uses the canary to symbolise the theme of sacrifice.

So hopefully in your discussions, you started to draw out some of these ideas, too.

But now I want you to think about, who do you agree with most and why? So again, pause the video so you've got time to make a decision, but most importantly, explain why you agree with that pupil.

Pause the video, off you go.

Okay, it's a true or false time.

The canary symbolises war in "Propping Up The Line".

Is that true or false? Okay, well done to everyone that said false.

But now you need to justify your answer by picking A or B.

Off you go.

Who's feeling confident? Ready for the answer? Excellent, well done to everyone who said A, the canary is a more specific symbol than the general idea of war.

And that's a really important thing to remember as we continue through this lesson.

So let's keep going.

Okay, so we're at our first practise task, and this is over to you to do some work.

So the first thing you'll need to do is to reread the four references to the canary found in "Propping Up The Line".

And you'll see here I have given you the page numbers and the lines where these references appear.

And then what I would like you to do is I would like you to annotate each of these, so make notes around those references, answering these two questions.

Why does Beck reference the canary at this point? And what ideas might you be trying to symbolise? Okay, so there's those four references there, we're annotating, making notes based on those two questions.

Okay, so you're gonna need to pause the video so you've got time to reread and complete this task.

Pause the video, and off you go.

(no audio) Wow, thanks everyone.

I could really feel all of that hard work happening and lots of thinking about that use of symbolism.

So let's just share some feedback.

So we have Jacob's annotations here.

So this is a really good opportunity for you to look at your own annotations.

Think about how you might add to them, how you might improve them.

So Jacob's annotations is based on that reference in page 57.

And what Jacob says is that Beck references the canary at this point because A, is breathing in fumes and is in distress, just like a canary would be down a mine.

The canary symbolises A's sacrifice.

And this is good because, first of all, it explains why the canary is referenced at this point.

So it's very clear, isn't it? Beck references the canary at this point because, it's a lovely sentence starter there.

And then he also connects the symbol to a theme.

So the canary symbolises A's sacrifice.

So we can really see how that symbol of the canary, that tangible thing, is being used to represent something intangible, that sacrifice, that idea of sacrifice or that theme.

So what I'd like you to do now is to have a look at your own annotations and use the checklist to check that you have met them.

So have you explained why the canary is referenced? And have you connected the symbol to a theme? So pause the video so you've got time to check through your annotations.

(no audio) Okay, thank you for your hard work so far.

Let's keep it going because we have got the second part of the lesson coming up, where this time we are going to be looking at Beck's use of motif and focusing on that washing line.

So let's go.

So, whilst a symbol can occur just once in a text, for something to be a motif, it must come up multiple times.

So often motifs come in the form of repeated images throughout a text.

So in the case of "Propping Up The Line", an important image is the washing line.

And this comes up multiple times so it can be considered a motif.

So the motif of the washing line first comes up when Alfred is in the trenches.

And Alfred describes bodies and the clothing of dead soldiers being caught up in the barbed wire of no man's land.

It's a really powerful image.

And what I would like you to do, is I'd like you to reread lines 28-39 of "Propping Up The Line", which is on page 44, and I want you to read Beck's first use of the image of the washing line.

So really read that through.

You're gonna need to pause video so you've got time to do that, and then we'll feed back some ideas, off you go.

Okay, so what I would like you to do now is I have two pupils here and they're discussing why Beck might have used such an image.

I would like you to discuss, what do you think these pupils might say? So pause the video as ever, so you've got time to think about your answers.

Off you go.

Okay, fantastic ideas.

Shall we see what the pupils actually said? Okay, so here is what they said.

So Andeep says it develops the idea of the inhumanity of war.

And Jacob says, it begins to develop the idea that Alfred is traumatised.

So really great ideas there.

And what I would like you to think about now, is can you justify their ideas? So can you link their ideas to the text or can you use evidence from the text to justify those ideas? So again, pause the video so you've got plenty of time to discuss or think about your ideas to this question.

Off you go.

(no audio) Okay, so what I would like you to do now, is you will see at the bottom there are some key words, and we have some incomplete sentences here.

So let's just read through those sentences together.

So Beck central blank are the trauma and.

of war.

Through the.

of the canary, he suggests that Alfred's life has been sacrificed to war.

Through the.

of the washing line, he develops the idea of Alfred's.

Now we have been discussing all of these ideas throughout the lesson, so all you need to do now is pause the video and use those key words to fill in the blanks, and we'll share the answers in a moment.

Okay, ready to pause video? Fantastic, off you go.

(no audio) Okay, so who thinks they have got every single answer right? Okay, lots of you think so.

So shall we share the answers and see how many we got right? Okay, so Beck central themes are the trauma and sacrifice of war.

Through the symbol of the canary, he suggests that Alfred's life has been sacrificed to war.

Through the motif, well done, of the washing line, he develops the ideas of Alfred's trauma.

Great stuff.

Well done everyone, we have reached our second practise task.

So the first thing that you are going to need to do for this practise task, is to reread the following lines.

So you'll need to find lines 425-472, and these are on pages 49-50.

So find those lines because you're going to need to reread them.

And this is all about where Alfred helps with the washing.

Now, as you read, think about everything we've talked about in this lesson and the discussions we've had about the interesting use of motif and all of the ideas that go with that, and the central themes of this text.

Once you have reread the text, I then would like you to develop this argument, so Jacob's argument using the prompts.

So the argument is; Beck returns to the motif of the washing line in order to develop his exploration of the lasting effects of war on Alfred.

So you're then going to develop that further by using the statement, more specifically.

And this will require you to make specific reference to the extract, including two or more quotations.

So you need to find the evidence using that prompt.

And then you'll also need to use, ultimately, consider what theme Beck is trying to explore and why.

So again, think about all of those fantastic discussions you have had with regard to themes and all of that stuff that Beck is exploring, okay? So make sure you reread it first, then develop that argument using those prompts.

Okay, are we ready to get started? Fantastic, okay, pause the video so you've got plenty of time to get this done.

Off you go.

Great work everybody, well done.

Loved seeing how some of you were going back to the text just to make sure you have picked the best evidence that you could.

So what I would like you to do is to self-assess your writing using the prompts and questions to guide you.

So you'll need to check your work and consider.

First of all, you'll need to look at the use of quotations.

So identify where you have included quotations and have you explored these quotations? So look at those mentions of quotations in your work and just check that you really explored them in as much detail as you possibly can.

And then have you considered Beck's central theme? So have you talked about trauma and/or sacrifice? So if you haven't, this might be an opportunity to add that into your response.

So just take a few moments to use those prompts and guides to really self-assess your own work.

Okay, off you go.

(no audio) Well, another fantastic lesson.

Thank you so much, everyone.

Let's just remind ourselves of everything that we have looked at.

So we now know that writers use symbols and motifs to present key themes.

We know that Beck uses the symbol of the canary to explore the theme of sacrifice.

And Beck uses the motif of the washing line to explore the theme of trauma.

Now remember, these ideas aren't just specific to this text.

You can look for symbols in motifs in other texts, too, and write about them there.

So a really useful lesson, I would think.

Okay, look forward to seeing you all again soon.

Bye-Bye.